Letters

Another homicide at another Concern for Independent Living “supportive housing” complex, this time in Brooklyn, happened in February: One Concern resident murdered another. A previous crime in Melville involved police officers on call being stabbed and killing the knife-wielder.

Yet, rather than address the potential crime and menace inherent in his “supportive housing,” Ralph Fasano, the director of Concern for Independent Living, chooses to ignore it. He continues to vilify the opposition using Michael Daly’s tongue while he coddles up to Maria Moore and Tommy John Schiavoni, trying to “frame” the issue to traffic only.

Fasano continues to manipulate the timing of the vote on his contentious development since Jay Schneiderman removed the last hitch at a “special meeting.” And now, it seems, he convinced Moore that only traffic problems are at issue and he will solve them.

Moore has moved from her adamant pre-election declaration that she was against Liberty Gardens to excluding the full board from her closed-door meetings with Fasano, his attorney and Schiavoni to murmuring, in a strategically placed Newsday blurb and a quote in the Press, “I think everyone agrees that it’s a good project and needed.” What supports that empty statement? And who is “everyone”?

Fasano has presented no additional information since his final environmental impact statement was accepted, so what is his solution to the traffic problem? Moore’s musing about “changing the access points” reveals a woeful lack of local knowledge. Further, as no additional information was provided, why hasn’t Janet Scherer issued her findings statement?

This is slack governance at best, or worst: Moore and Schiavoni — and the ghost of promises past — scurrying around to find a way to walk back from pre-election assurances to accommodate Fasano.

Daly’s inflammatory statements and Fasano’s acquiescence in them have resulted in a virulent attack on any reservations or opposition to his big-money development. Fasano insists that the focus be on how really nice his constructed units are, and to take his word that everyone will love the people he houses in them. No? Then Michael Daly steps up with his vicious litany, accusing anyone who questions or raises a concern about Liberty Gardens of being racist, bigoted, elitist, selfish, NIMBY and any other slur pulled from his thesaurus.

Not a single mention of “race” has factored into any discussion of Liberty Gardens, except in Michael Daly’s unwarranted attacks. The issues are environmental and civic. Yet Daly persuaded ERASE, an organization “which advocates for laws and policies that eliminates racial disparities” to place his full-page ad endorsing Liberty Gardens so as to legitimatize his lies.

People like Fasano and Daly do not offer solutions, they create problems — and, much worse, they engender a dangerous divisiveness.

Frances Genovese

Southampton